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Munich: Limited Edition (US - DVD R1)

Gabe gawks at Spielberg's masterful look at counter terrorism in the 1970s

Feature

Munich chronicles the true story of a secret Israeli hit squad assigned to track down and kill eleven Palestinians believed to have been involved with the planning of the 1972 Munich massacre of eleven Israeli athletes. Sent on the mission are men who, though experts in their particular fields, are relative novices when it comes to pre meditated murder. The squad leader, Avner (Eric Bana) is particularly torn between his loyalty and thirst for vengeance, and his moral fibre, which becomes quieter and quieter as the massacre develops.

I'd like to preface my review here by stating for the record that I am a massive fan of Steven Spielberg. I agree with the critical consensus that he tends to look for happy endings where they don't belong, and that he has an undeniable flair for the sugary-sweet. Despite these assertions at inadequacy, I believe Spielberg is the best storyteller in modern film, and perhaps only second to Akira Kurasawa in an all-time ranking. From a purely visual standpoint he's never failed, and from a material stand point he has only a handful of creative flops (I'm thinking Hook, Always, and Amistad here, I've never seen 1941 or The Terminal).

2005 was a great year to be a fan of the man with the grey beard's work. In the summer I marvelled at the pure visual grandeur of his 9/11 allegory, War of the Worlds, a picture that I had almost no hope in enjoying, based on the fact that it was finished on such a tight budget and that I didn't think the story needed to be retold. All the while I was resenting Spielberg for not yet dealing with his much-delayed Munich Olympics project. Little did I realize that the man was pushing it into production as a sat there in the theatre, shivering as tripods were vaporizing human beings.

I'm too young to have experienced the tragic melodrama that was the 1972 Munich Olympics, and learned about it in my adult life through Kevin Macdonald's 1999 Oscar winning documentary, One Day in September. As soon as I heard Spielberg’s name attached to the material I was hooked (though I did assume the project was going to centre on the Olympic event, rather than the aftermath at the time). Then came September 11th, 2001, and the events of September 5th, 1972 became more relevant then ever. After much admitted avoiding of the issue, Spielberg was ready to deal with that day in his own way with the one-two punch of War of the Worlds and this, his latest masterpiece, Munich.

Munich is an equally complex and simple film. At its base is a simple plot of vengeance. Vengeance has been a popular theme in cinema over the past few years, most likely because of the worldwide posttraumatic stress syndrome brought up through the attack on the Twin Towers. Films dealing with the theme of vengeance over the last five years have included Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy, Tarantino's vengeance flashbacks, Kill Bill volumes one and two, and Tony Scott's hyperactive Man on Fire. There were two popular comic based revamps, Batman Begins and The Punisher, which were both based on glorified vigilantes. Horror movies stepped back into their grindhouse, revenge-thriller roots with Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects and to a lesser extent, the Saw movies (whose killer is a sort of emotional vigilante). Even Martin Scorsese dealt with the theme in his period opus Gangs of New York, and Wes Anderson as the plot thruster of his ode to quirky nature documentarians, The Life Aquatic.

The complexities of Munich are found in its subtext; the grey in between the black and white of glorious retribution. The best vengeance films of our modern resurgence deal in the moral ambiguity of the situation, and this is no exception. Some critics have chastised Spielberg and his screenwriters for refusing to take sides, while others berate him for being either a PLO or Israeli sympathizer. I think that the cold and disconnected look at the events Spielberg has utilized is the only way the story could've been told. The characters on both sides of the confrontation are presented as flawed human beings, which is ultimately what we all are. Yes, this is the story of the Israeli's, and the side plot analysis of the opposing camp verges on time padding, but the humanity of the situation remains intact.

I must also confess that I have become a massive Eric Bana fan as well. I adored Ang Lee's Hulk, and basically discovered the actor in that role (I still haven't seen Chopper, and his role in Blackhawk Down was far too brief). A year later I sat through the embarrassment that was Wolfgang Peterson's Troy, and discovered that the one shining light of dignity was Bana's performance as Hector. When I heard he was attached to the project I just about jumped out of my skin, and he was great, though occasionally he seems to have confused acting with mouth breathing.

Though Bana spearheads the cast, and steals the screen most of the time he's on it, everyone involved is so uncommonly sharp and convincing that I cannot believe that Crash won best ensemble cast at this years SAG awards. Say what you will, but it seems to be a popularity contest to me. Some of the international cast (Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler) is made up of solid as rock standbys whose faces you may recognize, but have trouble placing. That enigmatic genius Geoffrey Rush puts in some face time as the man in charge of the operation, who is equal parts collected, warm, and brutal. And let me take this opportunity to officially announce that I approve of the work of Daniel Craig, and if this role wasn't one of the finest ‘leaner, meaner’ James Bond auditions I've ever seen, I must've had my eyes closed (though when recasting of 007 was announced I originally wanted Bana to fill the shoes, but we can't always get what we want).

The technical direction is just about perfect. Steven, again, is the storyteller of his generation. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, hot off War of the Worlds, creates a similar hyper real, cinema verite on uppers style to that of the alien invasion flick. The 1970s come to life here like we've rarely seen a recent time period come to life before, in all their gaudy, grainy, sun-bleached glory. I love Munich because it looks like a Sidney Lumet or William Friedkin crime flick, complete with zooms instead of pans, and more concern over looking real than looking clean.

The suspense is thicker than ten Brian De Palma films. Each hit is preceded by a meticulously constructed set up, the camera moving from character to character, cutting back and forth between the hesitant predators and their oblivious prey. The images verge on iconic. Spielberg manages to take the tired pre-attack montage and make it work. Some of this technical wizardry threatens to undermine the emotion of the film, but I think that the line was successfully toed without crossing in this case. Any time the crew gets overzealous, the cast brings the film back down to earth.

The films Achilles heel is its occasional loss of focus. The story line tends to meander into the realm of TV miniseries, and occasionally the audience is privy to unnecessary information. Not unlike Peter Jackson's otherwise wonderful King Kong remake, Munich could do with a bit of fat trimming. The material doesn't correlate with the two hour and forty-four minute running time, and what should've been a drum taught classic is instead an occasionally saggy near-miss. Munich was the finest film I saw in 2006, but its lack of focus causes it to fall just shy of a career best for its director.

What would I cut? Despite the great performances and character deepening dialogue, the scenes where Avner meets with the French 'Godfather' Papa to explain his teams actions. These do bring warmth to the film when the main characters are at their coldest, but it also stops the narrative. The information given in these scenes could easily be given by other means. Spielberg also has a tendency to heavy handedly push Avner's growing frustration and sadness. But despite these discrepancies, the film never suffers from a case of Spielberg-itis, and is possibly the most mature in the director's cannon.

Video

Munich is one of those films that I find nearly impossible to judge on a video quality level. Spielberg and Kaminski have colour-coated every location, ala Soderberg's Traffic. Some scenes are muted and grainy, while others vibrantly bleed colours over the entire frame. Most 'errors' in this presentation are most likely done with purpose. With this in mind, I'd say this is one of the better film to DVD transfers I've ever seen. A cleaner presentation would hinder the film's tactile nature.

Some sequences utilize the high contrast, bleach-bypass techniques the director and cinematographer made famous with Saving Private Ryan and Minority Report, and this DVD recreates the deep blacks very well. Some of the low-lit scenes suffer from some cross-colouration, especially in skin tones. The reoccurring bright red amongst muted colour motif leads to some bleeding, but again, I think this was on purpose. Detail levels are sharp even during fast camera movements. The heavy grain throughout adds to the gritty realism, and helps duplicate the look of early '70s crime dramas. Some films were not made for HD duplication.

Audio

How do you heighten the reality of a fact-based, documentary style film? By hiring Ben Burtt to do your sound design. The man behind the buzz of the lightsaber and the roar of the tie-fighter is in top form here, even when he rooted in the real world. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track (sorry DTS fans) is lively, well balanced, and it really hits when it needs to. The subtlety of this mix can be hazardous, as some viewers may crank their systems up, unaware that the reason they can't hear anything is because Spielberg and Burtt are about to blow something up. The LFE channel only kicks in when necessary, and doesn't numb the viewer like other, more aggressive tracks. This mix reminds us that moderation can be vital to building tension.

Music is supplied, of course, by Spielberg standby John Williams. I hate to say it, but this may be one of his weakest scores. Williams, in my humble opinion, hasn't been 'on' for years, with the exception of his work on Lucas' Star Wars films (which have an already determined style and a fair amount of completed themes to draw on). This particular score borrows pretty heavily from the pseudo-tribal melodies of Hans Zimmer's recent work with Ridley Scott, a style quickly becoming the tritest in Hollywood. Williams also seems to be borrowing heavily from his own Schindler's List score, the soft guitars of which sound sappy in this film. Some of the suspense cues are decent, but all in all this was pretty mediocre stuff from one of the world's most sought after composers.

The music is, like the effects, well balanced in all 5.1 channels. Fidelity is nearly perfect. Dialogue is audible and balanced well enough that I didn't once need to adjust the volume. The ambiance of city streets around the world is clear and tonally realistic. I honestly can't fathom a better mix for this particular film. Not a reference track for those who want to give their system a real work out, but a fine example of modern technology filtered through classic means of artistic creation.

Extras

For an extra bit of cash, those of us who really enjoyed the film can pick up this limited edition set. Basically the disc's producers have tightly crammed everything you'd ever want to know about the making of the film into just over eighty minutes of featurettes, seven in all. Really, this could've been one big documentary, but this kind of chapter chopping seems to be the norm on most of Spielberg's recent DVD releases.

Part one is an introduction from the man himself. Steve explains briefly the genesis of the project and his intentions as a filmmaker. This sections essentially stands as the director's defence against acquisitions of wrongful intent from both conservatives and liberals. He explains that the film is based on fact but that the events it depicts cannot be proven fact, so there is some creative discretion exercised.

Part two is entitled ‘The Mission, The Team’, and is kind of a recap of what the film is about and how the creative team built the script. It's a good example of why this really would've worked better as one large documentary because it lacks direct focus. It could've been easily mixed with part three, ‘Memories of the Event’. Here the producers give us more of a historical look at the Munich massacre itself. This was the most interesting part of the disc, and made me crave more fact-based material, but alas, I was whisked away to part four, ‘Portrait of an Era’.

This section chronicles the great lengths Spielberg and team went to in order to duplicate the age of polyester and bellbottoms. Producer Kathleen Kennedy politely describes the era as ‘unattractive’, and then excitedly explains that Europe looked a little better at the time. This is the section where Kaminski gets a chance to shine, explaining his process. After watching this I realized that this may be the last analogue film Spielberg will ever make. The film's look was produced by filters, gels, and film manipulation, not digital means.

Part five, ‘The On-Set Experience’, is a case of the section title dictating the content. Spielberg and company made this film on an insanely tight schedule, including over one hundred speaking parts, and several outdoor location shots. The majority of the sets were dressed to look like other countries, but on occasion the crew shot on location, as in Paris, where you can see a non-digital Eiffel Tower behind the actors. The producers seem to agree that the director works best at a break-neck pace, and that his first instinct is usually his best.

Part six is entitled ‘The International Cast’, and chronicles the selection of the hundred plus speaking parts. Most of the actors are relative unknowns in America, and seem to have all been shocked with Spielberg’s work ethic and pace. I have to agree that the international make-up adds authenticity to the film, even if actors are constantly playing characters from outside their actual nationalities. Bana describes the on-set experience as a trip to the United Nations.

The features are concluded with part six, ‘Editing, Sound and Music’, which is also pretty self-explanatory. The most intriguing thing about this section is the fact that post-production was in process at the same time as on-set production. The film was being edited as it was filmed, something Spielberg devotees will remember the director has done since the days of Jaws. We are also privy to sound man Burtt working his magic, which really should've been presented in 5.1 audio so it could be fully appreciated. Burtt explains the basis for some of the film's more unworldly sounds in his usual monotone drawl. And things are wrapped up with Spielberg praising Williams' sub-par score, and defending the aging composer, who was coming off Revenge of the Sith, War of the Worlds, and Memoirs of a Geisha when he agreed to score Munich. Poor guy.

Overall

Munich gets my vote as best picture of 2005, although I didn't actually see most of the most critically lauded films last year. It represents a controlled and mature turn from one of history's finest directors, and features some amazing cinematography. The international cast is uniformly terrific, headed by Eric Bana who deserves to be one of Hollywood's top talents. This Limited Edition DVD isn't stuffed with features, but there's enough behind the scenes footage to offer an insight into the work ethic of geniuses. Less rabid fans of the film should be content with the single-disc release, which features a solid and subtle Dolby Digital track and a perfectly representational video transfer.

Personally, I hope Spielberg continues to challenge himself with work like this. There are so many slam-dunk opportunities awaiting him ( Indiana Jones IV, ahem) that I can't help but wonder if he's exhausted himself with his last two features. Here's too more adult drama from the master of intuition.

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Tried to order it today from Amazon and it says "currently unavailable"? Ordered one from Tower, since this is where I ended up getting my 2 disc version of "Jarhead" awile back. Hopefully I'll get it soon since their (Tower) website says "in-stock".

Matt wrote: DVDEmpire.com now has it listed on back order for those looking to pick it up there, with a couple of folks already asking for the eye gouging amount of $99.99 for a new/used copy. Universal must have underestimated the demand and ran an extremely limited amount of copies or haven't shipped out everything yet. When I picked up my copy at Best Buy this afternoon they only had a handful of the LE sets, which, at least around here, is quite unusual.

Yeah, Future Shop didn't have the movie PERIOD! I was really mad. The search continues tomorrow...

DVDEmpire.com now has it listed on back order for those looking to pick it up there, with a couple of folks already asking for the eye gouging amount of $99.99 for a new/used copy. Universal must have underestimated the demand and ran an extremely limited amount of copies or haven't shipped out everything yet. When I picked up my copy at Best Buy this afternoon they only had a handful of the LE sets, which, at least around here, is quite unusual.

First off, Munich: I thought it was a very well done film. Eric Bana was once again amazing, and I fully agree with Gabe's review. Nice job.

Second: Heated political debates suck especially when they're off-topic and reduce to wild generalizations. The film is effective at portraying the terror caussponsible. I believe that acts like this must be dealt with ed by the murder of the athletes. In the opening, the viewer is horrified and shocked. The film is also effective at portraying the humanity of everyone involved including the Israeli assassins and the PLO terrorists. The film does not say "Israel was justified" or "Israel is just as bad". I got the message that terrorism is bad. Regardless of whether it is sponsered by a recognized nation, or some other group, or an individual.

Third: My political feelings on the matter is both the terrorists who attacked the athletes and Israel's response were wrong. The entire world was horrified by the olympics and would have united to seek justice on those responsible. I believe crimes must be dealt with legally. If someone kills everyone I know and love; I do not have the right to kill that person.

Four: Dave, if you think Israel was justified in it's actions, and that that sort of response is okay, that's fine. But when you insult religions and races (like your charming attacks on 'muslims' and 'arabs', you are doing nothing but preaching hate and prejudice. Perhaps we should all hate and fear Christians because of the Inquisition or the Crusades? Of course we shouldn't.

malcy wrote: BoBoi wrote: 2-Disc Limited Edition is currently out-of-print at Amazon even while it's at pre-order status

it's possible that there will be 2-3 more copies on the way like Jarhead, however to be fair it's gone really quick!!

Aloha to those who have pre-ordered before...I did, so now I have all Universal-recent *weird* released...Cinderella Man: CE, Jarhead: CE and now Munich: LE ... hohoho hahaha !!!

Universal LE is incredibly *rare* and be quick!!

Did you get your copy from Amazon ? I preordered from them when they finally listed it a few weeks ago. My order is still pending and as you say the listing has now changed to oop unavailable to order. Have not had any e-mail from Amazon updating me on what is happening and whether they will actually get it for me. Nope, didn't get any update on Munich today (release day)...

I suppose they ship it in order of pre-order

I think we'll get it, it will be a disaster to cancel half of the pre-order, but that could still happen! I guess they should tell us that very soon...

BoBoi wrote: 2-Disc Limited Edition is currently out-of-print at Amazon even while it's at pre-order status

it's possible that there will be 2-3 more copies on the way like Jarhead, however to be fair it's gone really quick!!

Aloha to those who have pre-ordered before...I did, so now I have all Universal-recent *weird* released...Cinderella Man: CE, Jarhead: CE and now Munich: LE ... hohoho hahaha !!!

Universal LE is incredibly *rare* and be quick!!

Did you get your copy from Amazon ? I preordered from them when they finally listed it a few weeks ago. My order is still pending and as you say the listing has now changed to oop unavailable to order. Have not had any e-mail from Amazon updating me on what is happening and whether they will actually get it for me.

I never said the Terminal was bad, I've never seen it, which is exactly what I said. I've heard it was one of Spielberg's weaker films. I thought the Hulk was wonderful up until the final 20 minutes, which weren't bad, but a definite droop in quality.

Dave Brock wrote: I've ignored nothing. In fact I have covered your specific points. And you still have not told me what should have been done other than...NOTHING!

I'm going to stay out of the main point of this fray, but I am not sure that anyone said NOTHING should be done about what the Palestinians did in Munich. If you can prove the people that were assassinated by Israel were behind the Munich assassinations, arrest them, put them on trial, and mete out whatever punishment the governments access for such actions.

Maybe, I read my own views into the movie, but I thought Spielberg left the movie a bit ambigious as to whether these assassinations had anything to do with Munich or not or whether they were just an excuse to get rid of known Palestinian terrorists. It seems by the end, Bana's character is fairly disilluisioned by his own actions.

ok...oo I didn't mean you sayed i'm stupid..i just sayed that way I think about this might sound stupid................and you know what.....i would bet some money that on the day I would die this conflict will still be live and more bloody than it is today.

I never said you were stupid £ukasz, and I never meant to sound condisending to you, but I do think that you solution would never work simply because wars always spread and there never would be an end to it. That, and it's pretty insensitive to think that the deaths of possibly millions of innocent bystanders to this conflict is alright. There are one thousand proposed solutions to this problem, and it seems not a single one has worked yet.

I'm sorry I missed your other post where you stated you'd seen the film.

First of all...as I wrote couple of posts before..i have seen this movie- like 3 days ago.......

and to they Israel-Palestina problem.....u might think i'm stupid ore something- but I keep thinking more and more each day that if the you "nations" can't work this problem out, can't understand that continues fighting will just couse more harm, pain, more victims..more blood of theyr own people....then I think to myself........let them fight and kill each other to the last one-maybe this is the only way to peace in this region...despite how irrational it may sound.

That's good £ukasz, but I wasn't really talking about the holocaust or Germany's occupation of Poland. I think that is a very large part of why Israel felt the need to defend themselves in the way they did, but I also think there was a lot more to it than that. Did you see Munich? If not I think you should, and probably catch Paradise Now as well. I'm surprised that my opinion on the matter would surprise you, I thought it was pretty clear from the things I've written on this site over the last year and a half that I was a blood-gushing hearted liberal, who pretty much disagrees with everyone, even those that may call themselves liberal. Then, I don't beleive politics are as simple as left and right, there has to be a middle ground.

I hope that Spielberg's planned documentary about the situation seen through the eyes of children is as interesting as I think it sounds, but I have a feeling the culling of hours and hours of footage filmed by children will produce a pretty incoheirant mish-mash.

Paradise now is a good look from the Palistinians POV, Munich is a nice detached look, One Day in September is an exelent fact based look...can anyone suggest a good Israeli film that I may have access to here in the States?

Gabe Powers wrote: Is "Violation of the B***h" any good, because that is just about the funniest video cover I've ever seen in my life.

And £ukasz, please don't base your opinion on such delicate matters as these on the opinions of two yahoos on an internet DVD site. It's probably the worst way to learn politics.

o belive me...i'm to old and learned to much about politics and history to base my opinion on you two fighting on this board... i live in Warsaw..i was born here...my entire family is from Warsaw...they lived here when Nazis ocupated Warsaw and destroyed it in 90%...so belive me- I know a lot about things you and Dave are "talking" about

Dave, I've stated several times that I think both the Israelis and PLO are wrong. I have no love for either side of this conflict. If it could be proven to me that Israel's action following the Munich tragedy was a self-devense action, not an act of vengeance, I may agree with you. I think that Germany handled the situation extremely poorly, and that their actions led Israel to think perhaps the rest of the world would not assist them in bringing the perpitrators to justice. I think that the inteligence they had stated that the guys they went after were guilty was flawed at best, and that diplomatic talks with these higher ups may have created a more lasting result. Had Israel tried and failed at a diplomatic compromise, their actions would've been more justified in my eyes. Many of the PLO members targeted claimed that they had nothing to do with Munich and because Israel was in a mouth-frothing state of revenge, they never stopped to think that maybe the targets weren't lying. A lot of assumptions were made and the operation was rushed, and the fact stands that I've yet to see counter terrorism succeed using terrorist methods.

I'm not 100% sure what Israel and the the world should've done in this situation, I just know that the actions they took acomplished nothing but making martyrs of the people they killed. The reason I liked this film is because it presented all possibilities to me in a grey light rather than a black and white one, allowing me to draw my own conclutions rather than telling me what to think. The end.

Now then, have you seen Fab Presse's book of Video Naty era box covers?

after reading both views on the PROBLEM- by Gabe and Dave.....if I can I would like to say that I agree almost 100 %with Dave.......and I must say that i'm realy supprised with Gabe point of view... If I can show my point of view- I belive that Isrel revange action on Plaestinians was right, was moraly right.....

I've ignored nothing. In fact I have covered your specific points. And you still have not told me what should have been done other than...NOTHING!

And you don't have to keep slagging of Israel to me. I have no time for fanatic Jews just as I have no time for any of the Islamic nutters. Just two bunches of s**t-heel religious bores. So I start off even and balanced in my views. More so than you it seems.

And yet I still say that purposely trageting unarmed civilians (esp at something like the Olympics) is cause for action. You seem to be saying nothing should have been done (as you have yet to say what should have been done so feel free to chip in with your great ideas) but then scream and rant 'how dare you say to let them off'. Well...What should they have done to the men that cold bloodedly (i think you used that description in the wrong place) targetted their athletes then? I'm all ears!

And if you say it did harm killing them and caused trouble, WHAT exactly were the reasons even BEFORE Munich for the continuing troubles and attacks then? OR shall we actually agree that these freaks need NO damn excuse to act like animals.

And seeing as Palestine has just elected a suicide bombing terrorist group that refuses to acknowledge Israel should even exist EVEN AFTER Israel pulled out a vast amount of settlers in a big concession (which I might add meant total lawlesness appeared in that area with numerous kidnappings of Westerners!) I don't see that Israel rolling on it's back and wagging it's tail actually gets them anywhere.

And when it comes to religious (is it any other in today's World?) extremists and even the slightest support or so called understanding of their dark ages beliefs yes, i'm very intolerant and proud to be so. But hunting down those that chose to kill your Olympic Athletes is a morally just act before it's a religious one

You shoved words in my mouth with your condescending childish tone. You don't actually want to discuss this, you just want to try and make me feel bad about my beleifs, and why? Because you disagree. It doesn't work. I'll say it again, you have no tolerance. This is my opinion, this is what I think, this is how I feel about the situation.

I'll try again, I believe that Israel was not justifyed in cold blooded murder. I think that the main problem with the operation was that it created martyrs of the killed PLO members and made the situation worse. I think that Israel has more than proved themselves strong over the years with the constant bombing of innocent civilians and the taking of their homes. That's what I think. I don't think the Nazis were OK, I'm not a fan of Charles Manson, and even though I watch horror films, I've never murdered someone myself. Have I covered every single base yet? Or are you going to conveniently ignore half of what I say again?

Just accept that we disagree on this, and that neither of us is in any position to change anything about the situation, so we aren't hurting anyone.

Gabe Powers wrote: I never said anywhere that I would've let any body the f**k off. There are other options that I am open too. Oh right. So what? TRY to actually arrest them and then get them out of the area (their own ground)safely and then put them on a soap box, platform for their beliefs, trial (which would probably take christ knows how many years anyway! As various U.N. trials more recently have shown!) in the hope that something may be done, possibly, eventually? And maybe like the WW2 trials (esp Japan) they walk out free men.

Or...just shoot them down where they are for the actions they chose to carry out on unarmed civilians at the Olympics.

And seeing as the Athletes were killed by a fanatical group with fanatical beliefs (or 'a religion'as they like to call it) PURELY BECAUSE they were JEWISH means that far from being off-topic the Nazi link is frighteningly, and explicitly, valid! Iran has recently made announcements that would have had Hitler grinning in his grave. The link is very much there and very much still alive and well.

And things had been going on and on and back and forth long before the Munich incident. So doing nothing (or doing something) makes no difference. Except to show Israel up as weak. Whichh is exactly why Islam has already got such a strong hold in the now weak-willed West and why Iran simply laughs in the face of the U.N. Because they see us as toothless and weak! Just as Israel would have looked.

Gabe Powers wrote: Yes thats right, I said it was ok to let the f**king Nazis off

Yes. you did. Was not the arrest and EXECUTION of various Nazi's STATE/GOVERNMENT sanctioned? IF you think such a thing is so wrong and that we should let the poor little dears off and forgiven them, as an eye for an eye etc etc...*sniffle* Then yes, we should have simply let all the Nazi's off and most certainly NOT KILLED THEM. Why should there be any justice for jews THEN if you are saying it's wrong in the 70's?

Just because this hypocritical (because they have dark skins and a religion to hide behind) stance on Arabic killers is shown up by my examples does not mean I should not use these examples.

Make your mind ups. Either you're going to be a 'turn the other cheek' doormat...or you're not, and you're going to go after those that CHOOSE to harm you.

Israel did nothing wrong by goinjg after these people. And I hope that Britain and America carry on doing the same. You CHOOSE to s**t on me, i'm going to use your face to wipe it off and then stick a cork up your arse to try and stop you doing it again.

And doinjg it again is another nice point...I wonder if we had all done a Ghandi and let all the high ranking Nazi's go in peace how long it would have taken for it all to start up again? What message does that send?....

That it's okay to kill Jews in a concentration camp? Like you want to say it's okay to kill Jews in the Olympic camp?

I see a very direct link there. So make your mind up. You either say do nothing or you say to do something. You can't have it both ways.

And I actually think it very funny that on such a film the only topics allowed are the f**king "Goonies" and whether it has DTS!! I'm sure Speilberg would actually be less insulted by people discussing the issues of such a film rather than ignoring them and concentrating on the f**king tech specs!!

Dave Brock wrote: And I don't care what the beef is in Palestine. that is NOT an excuse to purposely target unarmed civilians! And all these PC excuses being given do not change that most basic of facts! And if peope don't approve of State/Goverment sanctioned revenge (I call it justice) then all Nazis should have been let off, all Japanese and in fact every terrorist who was ever caught. No thanks.

This is "Munich" it's political. But I have said all I have to say.

Carry on discussing 'The Goonies'.

Yes thats right, I said it was ok to let the f**king Nazis off. Thanks for shoving f**king words in my mouth.

This is why we try to keep the political talk to a minimum, because none of us are political commentators. We may all think we have th proper authority, but the vast majority of us do not. For someonw who talks so much s**t about intolerance of Christianity, Dave, you sure don't have much tolerance for people thinking differently than you.

No, the PLO, if they were the ones that ordered the hit, were wrong and monsters. The point of the film was for people to question whether the actions of Israel were effective at all. I don't think they were. I think they just continued this neverending quid-pro-quo that the two nations seem to never overcome. That is what I got from the film.

And lets quit with the "comparing everything to the Nazis" bulls**t. That's part of what got the world in this situation in the first place. This is why I thought twice before reviewing this film, I knew it would bring out the asshole in people, I just didn't hink I'd be getting s**t from you, Dave. Maybe I should just start censoring myself from here on out to make sure I don't offend people who have political beliefs that differ from my own. Would that make you happy?

Worst Nightmare wrote: Bradavon wrote: ....and don't get me started on AI, what a wasted opportunity. The story had so much depth but Spielberg really didn't know have a clue how to end it. Kubrick would've done a better job.I totally agree - good to see someone also admitting that AI could have actually been a good movie...

Oh and Gabe, leave the Goonies alone or I will set the Sloth on you! Sacrilege will not be tolerated!

Oh and great review by the way....

I've said before and I'll say it again: "Artificial Intelligence" was a brilliant film, the ending is very fitting and it is one of Spielberg's BEST films of the past 7 years.

Bradavon wrote: ....and don't get me started on AI, what a wasted opportunity. The story had so much depth but Spielberg really didn't know have a clue how to end it. Kubrick would've done a better job.I totally agree - good to see someone also admitting that AI could have actually been a good movie...

Oh and Gabe, leave the Goonies alone or I will set the Sloth on you! Sacrilege will not be tolerated!

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind - to paraphrase Gandhi far beyond the initial terrorists they claimed were behind Munich.

As for the 'Moral ground that muslims do not have a stand on' especially about Darfur, I in a sense agree but what about the moral ground of the West when it states that they will not tolerate such atrocities and the genocide that has been taking place...USA has totally ignored Africa again and again politically, economically and so forth.

Well I can really do without Ghandi. India is perhaps the only country (even after us evil Brits left)that still has slavery of it's own people if they are born of a lower caste. They also routinely murder baby girls and mutilate women that disobey, or find a love that has not been arranged for them.

And as for The West (yet again!) being TOLD it should do something in Africa (I thought they were happy to kick us nasty colonials out) well good old Bin Ladin recently called for, yet another 'peaceful Islam', Jihad on ANY U.N./Western troops who dared to stop his fellow Arabs from comitting mass murder and rape in Dahfur. Something he called a 'Crusade against Islam'. So sending in troops would give these freaks all the excuses they need.

And quite frankly The West and America in particular gets slagged off by the rest of the World AND THEN the rest of the World screams The West should help. America gets slagged constantly for interferring and then slagged for not doing anything!

And I don't care what the beef is in Palestine. that is NOT an excuse to purposely target unarmed civilians! And all these PC excuses being given do not change that most basic of facts! And if peope don't approve of State/Goverment sanctioned revenge (I call it justice) then all Nazis should have been let off, all Japanese and in fact every terrorist who was ever caught. No thanks.

Kaya Savas wrote: Great review, Munich was one of those movies that really stayed with me after I saw it. I'm glad you mentioned camera tracking, because it was stunning how Spielberg rarely used cuts and just had one long take as the camera would dolly and truck while focusing on the characters. It was a great way to build suspense, it reminded me of Hitchcock's Rope.

It was one of my favorites of 2005, but Crash had a bigger impact on me as a viewer even though Munich was a close second.

Yea, now that I think about it, there were some "Rope" like qualities I noticed in "Munich". Good catch

Here in the UK we don't have such limited editions, so I'm just going to get a 2-disc DVD in June. Even though he doesn't do commentaries, I still feel Spielberg's films often have comprehensive enough documentaries. The art is of course, gorgeous. IMO, Munich is one of Spielberg's most beautiful looking movies alongside Close Encounters and Schindler's List.

Bradavon wrote: Gabe Powers wrote: Are you sure he didn't and that the final 30 minutes of the film weren't his dream? Watch it again, I think SS left it open to interpritation. The tell tale signs are what the jailer says as he enters hyper-sleep and the fact that the film's color pallet changes in the next scene. If that's really the case (or is it just your opinion?) then boy does it turn a very good film into an even better film.

I didn't see that at all personally but maybe . . .

Yes, this is one of the interpretations of the conclusion of "MR". I like it, but I also like the "let's not think outside the box and take everything for face value" interpretation as well, nice closure. But think, if it did end with Anderton going into hyper sleep (no extra 20 minutes, just credits), people would still be complaining about plot holes and loose ends.

SpielbergFan wrote: The extra money may be worth it just for the Limited Edition art.

I disagree very much with that. The art for the limited edition is beautiful and does the film justice. I will be picking up this version, but not for the art.

A very nice review. I agree that this film was the better of the 5 nominated for best picture, and should have gotten some recognition at this year's awards. I think that Williams has produced some very memorable scores (though definitely not his best work) in recent years, his Spielberg ones topping the list. I also thought "War of the Worlds" was in the top 5 of the summer films. And I agree with Chris that the ending was appropriate (with the book). Also, "Empire of the Sun" was one of his great films, but not the best one. I mean, compare it with "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan", not even close.

I enjoyed "The Terminal", it was different, not really a Spielberg film if you know what I mean. "1941" is honestly, a Zemeckis comedy, written by Zemeckis (and Gale) and everything is them, only "directed" by Spielberg (like how "Return of the Jedi" was directed by Richard Marquand). Still good to watch, some funny buts, but you won't think it's Spielberg because it really isn't.

Getting back to "Munich", again, great film, Spielberg hasn't disappointed me in many years and I really hope he can pull off "Indiana Jones IV", "Jurassic Park IV" and his "Abraham Lincoln" movie. Who am I kidding, of course he will.

I didn`t think Munich was Spielberg`s best work, but it was still a gripping and powerful film that I`m definately picking up as soon as it`s released. I love the 2 disc art, but I`m going with the 1 disc since the features don`t seem to be worth the extra $$$.

One more thing. Where I'm going to have to disagree with Gabe is on the John Williams issue. While this may not be his strongest score, I wholeheartedly disagree that he hasn't been "on" for years. This past year has been a great year for the greatest living film composer - his score for Memoirs of a Geisha is one of his strongest yet - and Sith definitely had the best score out of the prequel trilogy.

Hell froze over today, just like it did yesterday. Yesterday, we find out that THE ORIGINAL UNDOCTORED NON-DIGITIZED "HAN SHOOTS FIRST" versions of the "Star Wars" films (1977, 1980 and 1983) will be coming out on DVD this September. That's great news! A REALLY big high! Today, we hit an all time low (and I mean an all-time LOW) with this release of "Munich" on DVD. This DVD release has made the DVD history books. How? This is the FIRST EVER DVD of a film directed by Steven Speilberg that DOES NOT......repeat, DOES NOT have a DTS mix. Apparently, even Mr. Speilberg himself (The man IS...er, uh....WAS DTS - DTS WAS his baby from the get-go starting with Jurassic Park) has lost touch with THE purest cinematic digital sound format/algorithm so loved throughout the world. Universal and DreamWorks are soooooooooo on my s**t list now!!!!!! They have TOTALLY lost touch with and NO LONGER support DTS. I'm afraid it's official folks. I will NO LONGER buy ANY DVDs of ANY KIND from Universal and DreamWorks, nor will I EVER go out to see a theatrical film released by Universal and DreamWorks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! End of story!

I really didn't like The Goonies at all no matter how much Spielberg was involved with it. Spielberg's best is Schindler's List in my opinion. Munich is a dark look at the nature of man and the state of global conflict, which makes it very good, maybe even his second best. I don't get how people say Empire Of The Sun was his BEST work, that is definately not the movie that defines Spielberg's career, even though it's good. I don't think the man ever made a bad movie but Empire Of The Sun is not at the top, that's for sure.

Ok guys let's try to keep the political chatter to this film as best we can, I really don't want this to devolve into a shouting match.

The Goonies, on the other hand, is nothing but a bunch of jokes about fat kids, kids who can't speak English very well, and a giant retarded man-child. There are also far too many screaming children. It's horrible. I love the theme song though.

Dave Brock wrote: Gabe Powers wrote: Oh, but he still PRODUCED the Goonies.

Dave, I respectfully and whole heartedly disagree. I'll leave it at that so that this doesn't turn into a political discussion.

It's political film based on real events. If you make a film like that it's open to such debate.

And if you disagree that hunting down terrorists is morally even in the same ball park as purposely targetting unarmed civilians at the Olympics of all places then I shudder in disbelief. As I do if you think they should have never had any comeback for carrying out such an atrocity.

Dave I disagree with you totally on pretty much what you've said in this thread.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind - to paraphrase Gandhi and I must say that that what the Iranian president says is simply rhetoric...dangerous yes but still rhetoric...Israel is as much to blame for the instability in the region as are the other countries. Israel understands that USA needs them in the area for some sort of foothold in the region otherwise they will be blocked out and USA will not want that. Their policies are terrible when it comes to protecting 'their' land and this is land that is not theirs legally, religiously, economically or in any other sense that you see it (the land I refer to are the settlements that have been built after the '67 war) It is also fact that their terrorist hunt began to expand far beyond the initial terrorists they claimed were behind Munich.

As for the 'Moral ground that muslims do not have a stand on' especially about Darfur, I in a sense agree but what about the moral ground of the West when it states that they will not tolerate such atrocities and the genocide that has been taking place...USA has totally ignored Africa again and again politically, economically and so forth.

Im not anti-israel in anyway at all but I think the best chances at peace have been squandered by Israel themselves...they would not negotiate with Arafat and held him down in his complex and yet claimed that they were looking for a peaceful negotiation.

Recently Israeli troops stormed a jail in Palestine and took the prisoners there that were being held by the British Forces, and when asked by the British Forces to help them, they ignored their requests. They create situations that are not agreeable with many people be they Israeli or Palestinian.

P.S. I love the Goonies and how dare anyone speak out against it! c",)

Dave, I don't want to invoke the wrath of Chris, and I like having you on the site because you're one of the only people here who knows what I'm talking about on my b-horror reviews. Basically I disagree with government imposed vengeance on any level. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but rest assured that I have no political power, so my views will remain just that, views.

I think the scene between Avner and the PLO head in the stairwell, though kind of unnessiary to the plot, pretty much sums up my thoughts on the crisis. Everyone on both sides of the events portrayed in this film is equally guilty in my eyes. I do not blame Palistien for the deaths of thousands of Americans on September 11, I blame terrorist cells that think that bloody murder is justifyed. Isreal is just as, if not more guilty of the premeditated murder of innocent civilians as Palestine. They are both wrong. That's the way I feel about it.

Dave Brock wrote: And if you disagree that hunting down terrorists is morally even in the same ball park as purposely targetting unarmed civilians at the Olympics of all places then I shudder in disbelief.

I shudder to believe that you don't see killing people just because your government tells you that they are terrorists isn't on the same moral plane as the terrorists themselves. There was never any proof that any of the people they killed had any direct link to Munich. If there had been proof, why not let the European court systems deal with them and actually go for justice instead of revenge.

Dave, I respectfully and whole heartedly disagree. I'll leave it at that so that this doesn't turn into a political discussion.

It's political film based on real events. If you make a film like that it's open to such debate.

And if you disagree that hunting down terrorists is morally even in the same ball park as purposely targetting unarmed civilians at the Olympics of all places then I shudder in disbelief. As I do if you think they should have never had any comeback for carrying out such an atrocity.

Gabe Powers wrote: Oh, but he still PRODUCED the Goonies. You leave The Goonies alone and stop bashing it, Gabe...unless you'd like to face the wrath of the truffle shuffle, or a visit from Corey Feldman, your choice.

Gabe Powers wrote: Are you sure he didn't and that the final 30 minutes of the film weren't his dream? Watch it again, I think SS left it open to interpritation. The tell tale signs are what the jailer says as he enters hyper-sleep and the fact that the film's color pallet changes in the next scene. If that's really the case (or is it just your opinion?) then boy does it turn a very good film into an even better film.

Which extras made their way to the 1 disc version? Any news which (if any) extras made their way to the non-R1 versions?

Spielberg is indeed a very talented director but for me far to many of his films have that overly Hollywood sentimentality that sugar coats gritty stories to much turning them into movies not films.

A perfect example of this is Saving Private Ryan. Fantastic first half but then it all goes sentimental and ruins what could be an outstanding film into a very good film. I agree Minority Report would've been a much better film if it had finishes 10-20 minutes earlier and don't get me started on AI, what a wasted opportunity. The story had so much depth but Spielberg really didn't know have a clue how to end it. Kubrick would've done a better job.

For me Jaws is still easily Spielberg's best work. Don't get me wrong like I said I think he's a very talented director and enjoy all his work. I just wish he'd lose that Hollywood gloss, the same could be said for Ron Howard.

It's odd how some films are pretty much loved universally in America but internationally they're either thought of rubbish or merely good. As far as I know Munich did decent but not outstanding business in Europe and most seem to think it merely good.

I've yet to see it but want to. The LE is to pricey so I'm hoping the UK R2 gets some decent extras.

Deleted Member

Gabe Powers wrote: I still can't forgive him for writing The Goonies.

Well he didn't write the Goonies, so you can forgive him ;-) He had the idea for the story, and Chris Columbus wrote the screenplay.

Munich is without doubt Spielberg's best film since Schindler's List. True, most directors would kill to have films as good as his post-Schindler period, but this is his most mature and darkest film of his career.

im not sure about this, I mean which one should I pick up, the 2-discs or the single disc edition... I'm not a FAN of those types of movies, but I'm a fan of limited editions wasn't JURASSIC PARK from Steven Spielberg? if yes, the trilogy was great, I loved all three of them, a fun ride, and the fourth is coming summer of 2007, still in production I read last sunday, so i'll be the first in the line buying that ticket... see ya guys ciao

Great review, Munich was one of those movies that really stayed with me after I saw it. I'm glad you mentioned camera tracking, because it was stunning how Spielberg rarely used cuts and just had one long take as the camera would dolly and truck while focusing on the characters. It was a great way to build suspense, it reminded me of Hitchcock's Rope.

It was one of my favorites of 2005, but Crash had a bigger impact on me as a viewer even though Munich was a close second.

"Munich" was a good film. A nice, darker turn for Steven Spielberg. I loved how gritty and realistic the film was. I dont know about you guys but I thought that "Munich" had some of the most realistic and disturbing violence I have ever sceen. I felt like I was right there with those guys as they were killing the targets, thats how real it looked. Remember that scene when they killed the woman, can you say brutal!

But as for best picture of 2005. No way. There were much stronger and well rounded films that were out and nominated. I think that "Crash" deserved Best Picture, and "Brokeback Mountain" was a close second. I would say that "Good Night, and Good Luck." would come in thrid and then "Munich" in fourth with "Capote" in fifth. But those were just the Oscar nominated ones. I truely believe that "Match Point" was the best picture of 2005. I marvel at the craftmanship Woody Allen possesed in making that film.

"Munich" is good no doubt and I will pick up the standard DVD (I am a poor college student). But I did feel like it was a tad hard to fully comprehend the first time you watch it. There is so much going on in the film, between the murders and suspence, the extremely deep charecter archs and the history. This is a very rich film and I cant wait to view it again so I can study every aspect that Spielberg gammed into the film. I would give it an 8/10.

This is an absolute brilliant movie, my best of the whole oscar's best picture bunce! if only, the movie has been released and campaign properly, not rushed it would have had a serious chance at trumph at the oscars this year.

The Limited Edition is absolute worth it, I would have buy it anyway even if I have not seen the film before, with an absolute glorious 'digipak + book' alone

However, with such great movie and seriously brilliant package, 'a must have' in my collection

and I do hope the Japanese are preparing a Gift Set for this one, and I'm talking magnificent!

--- both sides of the confrontation are presented as flawed human beings---

Exactly! What rot! The PLO SPECIFICALLY targetted and killed unarmed civilians. Athletes there simply to take part in the world's greatest athletics event that's meant to being the world together in competative harmony.

The Israeli's targetted murdering gunmen AFTER the attcks on their sportsmen. HUGE damn difference.

Mistakes may have been made, but that is nothing to do with anything. Mistakes happen in all wars and sometimes innocents die by those mistakes. But that is not the same as targetting civilians purposely. Especially at an event like the Olympics.

I have no time for the highly dubious way Israel behaves in Palestine, but that does not mean you go out to purposely murder civilian men, women and children on buses, in market squares or at the Olympics.

And looking around the world Islam has no moral gorund to stand on anyway. And what Arabs are currently doing in Dahfur makes the Israeli's look like Barney the Dinosaur.

"Munich" should have taken a stand, and coming from Speilberg, a member of a religion and race that was subject to amazing atrocities under the Nazis (where those responsible were indeed hunted down) it's even more of a letdown. And it continues today with Iran recently saying it wants to wipe Israel off the map, Jews and all.

True the Nazi's were hunted down and put on trial, not executed in the streets. BUT given the amount of Nazis who were let-off and (along with various sadistic Japanese) went happily on their way to a new life working for America perhaps swift execution is indeed more just.

Quote: In War Of The Worlds, Tom's son should have been kiled. In Minority Report, Tom should have been imprisoned for a crime he didnt commit.

Bad examples. In the original novel the narrator's wife turns up alive at the end, and as for Minority Report, well see Gabe's answer. It's a pseudo-sequel to Total Recall and has a very similar ending.

Lincoln6Echo wrote: I've heard that this Deluxe Edition is really not worth the extra $15 due to the extras are nothing more than a little fluff. If it's really 15 bucks more, than no, it's not worth it.

Chris Johnson wrote: The best picture of 2005 is "Paradise Now", not "Munich". I respectfully disagree. I thought Paradise Now was fantastic, but it dodged the hardest questions for most of the film. Too much inner politics, not enough raw emotion.

Darrell Judd wrote: In Minority Report, Tom should have been imprisoned for a crime he didnt commit. Are you sure he didn't and that the final 30 minutes of the film weren't his dream? Watch it again, I think SS left it open to interpritation. The tell tale signs are what the jailer says as he enters hyper-sleep and the fact that the film's color pallet changes in the next scene.

And Smits, you're not going to get any name calling from me, because you've stated your case in an intelegent manner. For the record, I think Hook is a "bad" movie. The only thing I can't beleive is that you weren't moved by Empire of the Sun. Spielberg is, as I said here, one of the best visual story tellers in film history, but he does leave his audiences cold and has a a problem with sap and corniness. I still can't forgive him for writing The Goonies.

I know I'm opening myself up to name calling and I really hate the pretentious know it all critics that hate on film makers because they know more than said film maker, but does anyone else think that Spielberg is a bit over rated as a director? Not as of late, but as a whole? He's got some fantastic films, i.e. Munich, Schindler's List, Private Ryan and great popcorn flicks like Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade as well as War of the Worlds... but looking at his over all resume, there's quite a few "ehs" in there. At least to me. I discuss this with friends and the crowd that loves that I talk to seems to be in love with his lesser movies like Hook and Temple of Doom. Those weren't "bad" movies per se, just not movies that should be on Spielberg's resume. I guess I'm being too harsh, but I wanted to see what the rest of you folks thought. Because I was largely (I'm definately in the minorty here) unmoved by films like Empire of the Sun. I can watch it and know that it was a very well done film, it just didn't touch me the way I think it wanted to or was supposed to. With that, let the name calling begin... and for the record, yes, I'm super excited about Indy IV...

Spielberg is a good story teller. I dont think he's the best. A lot of his films (though good) tend to leave me with a feeling of corniness (if thats actually a word) - I enjoy 90% of his stuff and then he spoils it with a didgy ending. In War Of The Worlds, Tom's son should have been kiled. In Minority Report, Tom should have been imprisoned for a crime he didnt commit. Only 2 examples but most of films can have a similar thing said about them. His best stuff was Duel, Jaws and Munich - are we going to see a darker Mr S? I hope so. It'll be worth waiting for.

Extras:
An Introduction by Steven Spielberg, Munich: The Mission, The Team, Munich: Memories of the Event, Munich: Portrait of an Era, Munich: The On-Set Experience, Munich: The International Cast, Munich: Editing, Sound and Music